Coupler



pr l0, 195i F. H. KAYLER 2548A@ COUPLER Filed July 3, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E' INVENTOR.

(242C BY Patented Apr. 10, 1951 ICOUPLERv Frank H. Kayler, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 3, 1948, Serial No. 36,877 7 claims. (-ol. .21a-71,52)

This invention relates to automatic couplers and more particularly to the type of coupler presently used on American railways, such as, for example, the A A. R. standard D and E couplers and the currently proposed A. A. R. type F coupler. Y

In the past it has been found, in couplers of this type, that the mechanism for throwing the knuckle to open position preparatory to a coupling operation is eicient in new couplers and it has been found that in such couplers the knuckle can be thrown to its full open position for coupling by operation of a manual operating force to the associated operating rod handle which is connected to the knuckle operating mechanism in conventional manner.

It has also been found that after these couplers have been in service for a considerable length of time, some wear and seating of the parts occurs, and in some cases the force required at the operating rod handle to throw the knuckle is increased to a point at which train men dis- 'card use of the operating rod and go between cars where they attempt to open the knuckle directly by hand, an extremely dangerous practice.

According to the present invention, it has been discovered that the difficult operation of worn .Y

couplers, which has heretofore been attributed to wear and rusted condition, may be alleviated and substantially eliminated by providing readily releasable guide surfaces on the knuckle tail and lower pulling lug of the coupler head and on the lower pulling lug of the knuckle tail and the bottom wall of the coupler head therebeneath.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide novel guide surfaces on the coupler head and knuckle tail for guiding the latter in closed position and for accommodating opening of the knuckle without development of substantial friction.

A further object of the invention is to substantially eliminate frictional resistance to the opening of the knuckle by providing guide surfaces on the knuckle tail and lower coupler head pulling lug which immediately release as the knuckle moves to open position.

A further object of the invention is to proportion the clearance between the knuckletail and the lower coupler head pulling lug and between the lower knuckle tail pulling lug and the bottom coupler head wall, so that all guiding of the knuckle tail is effected by the coupler head pulling lugs.

A more specific object ofthe invention is to provide cooperating guide surfaces on the knuckle tail and the lower coupler head pulling lug, sloping downwardly and outwardly of the coupler head cavity containing the knuckle and associated operating mechanism, whereby as the knuckle tail moves to open position, the' clearance between the guide surfaces is increased.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view through a coupler head with the novel parts therein shown in top plan view;

Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig/ure 1; 1

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the lower coupler head wall in the vertical plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 3; and

Figures 6 to 9 inclusive, illustrate the coupler of Figures 1 to 5 after the parts have become worn, Figure 6 being a sectional View correspending to Figure 2, Figure '7 being a sectional view corresponding to Figure 3, Figure 8 being a view corresponding to Figure 1 with the knuckle partly open, and Figure 9 being a sectional view on the line 9 9 of Figure 8.

Describing the invention in detail and refern ring rst to the coupler structure shown in Figures l to 5 inclusive, the novel coupler comprises a head, generally designated 2, having a cavity 4 containing a knuckle 6 pivoted by a pin 8 to top and bottom lugs or ears I0 of the coupler head2. The head 2 comprises a guard arm 3 and the knuckle 6 comprises a nose 5 adapted for cooperation with the nose of a mating coupler knuckle (not shown) confined between the knuckle 6 and the guard arm 3.

It may be noted that the knuckle 6 is adapted vto be locked by a lock l2 operable within a cavity as at I6 on the lower lug or ear I0 of the coupler head and comprises a tail portion I8 with top and bottom pulling lugs 20 and 22 adapted to engage corresponding lugs 24 and 26 of top and bottom coupler head walls 28 and 30.V Figures 2, 3, and 5 show the normal position of the knuckle tail and related coupler head lugs in a new coupler with the tail portion I8 guidably received between the coupler head pulling lugs 2l and 26 to afford clearance therefrom as at 32 and 33 respectively. Also, as best seen in Figure 5, the clearance between the bottom knuckle tail lug 22 and bottom Wall 30 as indicated at 35 is greater in any rotational position of knuckle tail I8 than the clearance 33 between the knuckle tail portion 38 and the top 36 of the bottom pulling lug 2B. Thus the knuckle tail I8 is entirely guided by the lugs 24 and 26 and clearance at 35 is maintained under all conditions despite wearing of the parts or normal movement thereof under operating conditions.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it will be seen that the top surface of the lug 26 slopes downwardly and outwardly of the cavity 4 to provide an inclined guide surface 3E cooperating with a corresponding inclined guide surface 38 of the knuckle tail portion I8. These surfaces are designed with normal operating clearance of the order of 1/8 inch to provide adequate guidance for the knuckle tail portion |81 in closed position.

Figures 6 and 7 correspond to Figures 2 and 3 respectively, and illustrate the conditions prevailing in a worn coupler wherein wearing in or seating of the knuckle and support surfaces of ear It at I6 has caused knuckle S to settle and consequent lowering of the knuckle tail I8 has caused the latter to seat against the bottom lug 2B as at 40.

Thus the inclined surfaces 3E and 38 of the lug 26 and knuckle tail I8 respectively, are seated to limit drooping of the knuckle tail I8 and to afford normal guidance and support for the latter after the frictionally engaged surfaces of the knuckle and ear I at I6 haveworn in or seated in service.

Figures 8 and 9 show the manner in which the knuckle 6 is accommodated free movement to open position under the conditions shown in Figures 6 and '7 and it will be noted, as seen in Figures 8 and 9, that the knuckle has been moved from closed position to increase the clearance at 42 between the knuckle tail IS and the adjacent coupler head wall 44. It will also be noted, as

best seen in Figure 9, that opening movement of the knuckle 6 immediately causes the guide surfaces 38, 38 of the bottom coupler head guide lug 26 and the under side of the knuckle tail I3 to move apart re-establishing the clearance at 33 and accommodating free unencumbered movement of the knuckle l to open position. Figure 9 also clearly shows that the clearance at 35 between the bottom pulling lug 22 of the knuckle tail portion i8 and the underlying surfaces of the Coupler head wall 3U is maintained to positively prevent frictional movement of the knuckle to open position.

Thus it will be seen that the invention comprehends a novel automatic coupler wherein substantial frictional resistance to opening of the knuckle is positively prevented by providing novel guide surfaces on the knuckle tail and lower coupler head pulling lug, said guide surfaces being immediately releasable upon movement of the knuckle to open position even under conditions of maximum wear wherein the knuckle tail guide surface is firmly seated in closed position against the corresponding guide surface of the bottom coupler head pulling lug. Also the lower knuckle tail pulling lug is of novel form and is spaced at all times from the underlying coupler head surface to accommodate guidance of the knuckle tail entirely by the coupler head pulling lugs.

It will be understood that the above-described invention is applicable not only to the present standard D and E couplers but also to the proposed type F coupler and to any other type of coupler wherein the knuckle tail is guidably confined between the coupler head pulling lugs in such manner that wear in service may cause the knuckle tail to seat on the bottom coupler head lug.

I claim:

l. An automatic coupler comprising a coupler head having a guard arm at one side thereof, spaced top and bottom ears at the opposite side thereof, and a cavity extending rearwardly from between said ears and adapted to house associated knuckle throwing and knuckle locking means, a knuckle having a portion extending between and pivotally connected to said ears and frictionally supported .by the bottom ear, said knuckle having a tail portion extending rearwardly from the first-mentioned portion, top and bottom pulling lugs on said tail portion, top and bottom pulling lugs on said head within said cavity disposed forwardly of the tail portion pulling lugs and adapted to cooperate therewith during pulling forces on said knuckle, and cooperating surfaces on the bottom pulling lug of the head and the knuckle tail portion affording support for said knuckle tail when the frictionally engaged surfaces of the knuckle and bottom ear have been worn in, said cooperating surface sloping downwardly and outwardly of said cavity toward the guard arm.

2. An automatic railway car coupler comprising a coupler head with a guard arm, a knuckle pivoted in said head, frictionally supported thereby and comprising a tail portion having top and bottom pulling lugs, top and bottom pulling lugs in saidr head adapted for cooperation with the first-mentioned lugs,V and cooperating surfaces on the bottom head lug and the under side of the 'knuckle tail portion forwardly of the knuckle tail bottom lug for supporting said tail portion after said knuckle has seated around its pivot point, said surfaces sloping downwardly toward said guard arm to increase the clearance therebetween as the tail portion pivots toward the guard arm during opening movement of the knuckle.

3. A coupler, according to claim 2, wherein the bottom tail portion lug is spaced from the underlying coupler head surface at a distance greater than the maximum clearance between the cooperating surfaces.

4. An automatic coupler comprising a coupler head with top and bottom ears and top and bottom pulling lugs, a knuckle pivoted in the head, frictionally supported thereby along complementary faces of the knuckle and bottom ear around the pivot point ofthe knuckle, said knuckle havingA a tail portion extending between said lugs for guidable cooperation therewith, top and bottom pulling lugs on said tail portion adapted to cooperate with respective head lugs, and cooperating surfaces on the bottom head lug and the under side of said tail portion for supporting said tail portion after said faces have worn in, said surfaces sloping downwardly and outwardly of said head. Y

5. A coupler comprising a head having a cavity, a knuckle having a pivotal connection to the head within said cavity, said knuckle being frictionally supported by the head along' complementary interengaged faces of the head and knuckle around said connection, said knuckle having a tail portion adapted to move in a path outwardly of said cavity as said knuckle moves to open position preparatory to a coupling operation, and cooperating surfaces on the knuckle tail and underlying surface of the head sloping downwardly and outwardly of said cavity in said path, said surfaces being formed and arranged to support the knuckle tail after said faces have been worn in.

6. A coupler comprising a head, a knuckle having a pivotal connection thereto and having a tail portion, said knuckle being frictionally supported by lan upwardly facing head surface engaging 'a downwardly facing knuckle surface around said connection, cooperating pulling lugs on said portion and said head, and cooperating surfaces on the head lug and on the overlying part of said tail portion for supporting the latter after the first-mentioned surfaces have been worn in, said second-mentioned surfaces sloping downwardly and outwardly in the path of movement of said portion as the knuckle moves to open position.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 445,817 McKeen Feb. 3, 1891 1,104,516 Krakan July 21, 1914 1,203,319 Durbin Oct. 31, 1916 1,848,545 Regan Mar. 8, 1932 1,857,035 Tomlinson May 3, 1932 

